Expressing 'have to' with 'haver de' — Catalan Grammar

To express obligation or necessity, similar to the English have to or must, you can use the verb followed by the preposition and an infinitive verb. The structure is: conjugated + + infinitive.

The verb is irregular in the present tense.

jo he
tu has
ell/ella/vostè ha
nosaltres hem
vosaltres heu
ells/elles/vostès han

This structure is used for everyday obligations and necessities.

He de comprar llet quan torni a casa.
I have to buy milk when I get home.
La Clàudia ha d'estudiar per a l'examen de demà.
Clàudia has to study for tomorrow's exam.
Han de ser a l'aeroport a les sis del matí.
They have to be at the airport at six in the morning.

Other Ways to Express Obligation

While is very common, there are other structures to express similar meanings.

Using caldre

The verb (often as ) expresses an impersonal necessity, like it is necessary to. It can be followed by an infinitive or by and a verb in the subjunctive.

Cal arribar a l'hora.
It is necessary to arrive on time.
Cal que facis els deures.
It's necessary that you do your homework.

Using deure

The verb also expresses obligation, but it often implies a stronger moral duty or a formal requirement, closer to must or ought to.

Deus respectar les opinions dels altres.
You must respect the opinions of others.

Be aware that + infinitive is also commonly used to express probability or supposition.

On és en Pau? Deu ser a casa.
Where is Pau? He must be at home.

Regional Variations

In Barcelona and standard Catalan, is the preferred and most common way to express general obligation.

You may hear or read the structure + infinitive, which is a direct influence from Spanish tener que. While widely used in other Catalan-speaking regions like Valencia, it is generally considered a less standard form in Barcelona and formal contexts.

Tinc que anar-me'n.
I have to go. (Less common in Barcelona)
He d'anar-me'n.
I have to go. (Preferred in Barcelona)

Negative and Interrogative Forms

To form a negative sentence, place before the conjugated form of .

No has de fer soroll a la biblioteca.
You must not make noise in the library.
No hem d'oblidar de comprar el regal.
We mustn't forget to buy the gift.

To ask a question, you can simply use rising intonation or, in more formal cases, invert the subject and verb.

He de signar aquí?
Do I have to sign here?
Què hem de portar a la festa?
What do we have to bring to the party?

In the course

Sentences from Lingora’s Catalan course

18 of the course's 500 sentences use this, the first in lesson 8. A few of them, with the words “Expressing 'have to' with 'haver de'” is about in bold:

He d'anar amb bici fins que em compri un cotxe nou.
I have to ride my bike until I get a new car.
Lesson 301
He de netejar el bany. Està molt brut.
I need to clean the toilet. It is too dirty.
Lesson 469

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